English
27th June 2019
Avoid ten offenses against the holy name
Radha Kunjabihari ki jai!
smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit
sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah
[Bhakti Rasamrit Sindhu 1.2.8]
This statement, which is about gopis, gopis always remember Krishna, they never ever forget Krishna. There are two things. One is to always remember Sri Krishna, that is one item and another is never forget Krishna, vidhi and nishedha.
vidhi nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarah
Vidhi and nisedhah are servants of the siddhanta- ‘martavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit’- always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna.
As we chant,
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
That is sravanam and kirtanam, we also say Hare Krishna. We say so that we could hear or we say so that others could also hear. During chanting japa and during kirtan, during dindi we do kirtan, so as we chant, then we also hear and then we remember the Lord. We chant, so that we could remember the Lord or as we chant and we remember the Lord.
So, in case of chanting there is vidhi and nishedha. There are do’s and dont’s. The process and prohibition. So,what is that process and what is that prohibition? What is do and what is don’t? What is vidhi and what is nishedha?
Vidhi is chant,
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
This is the process, vidhi. Harer namaiva kevalam, there is no other way no other way, this is the only process. Then what is nishedha? In case of chanting of Hare Krishna mahamantra what is nishedha? What is prohibition? And there are ten offenses against the holy name of the Lord. You are not supposed to do. Do chanting, but don’t do these other things. So chanting lot of people do. We have to understand vidhi and nishedha both. In case of chanting, chant Hare Krishna, that is vidhi and then avoid 10 offenses against the holy names, this is nishedha, this is prohibition.
That is why in Hare Krishna temple only, in the whole world, there is reminder of ten offenses of the holy name. These ten offenses are mentioned in Padma purana. These are eternal principles. So, from the beginning of creation they have existed and learned chanter, they have always taken note of these prohibitions, ten offenses and then had also tried to avoid these ten offenses.
They chant Hare Krishna and they try to avoid ten offenses. This is the specialty of Hare Krishna movement or this is the specialty of Gaudiya Vaisnavism that we follow the process completely. We pay attention to the process, we pay attention to the prohibitions also.
So, like that we are trained by the founder Acarya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
Chanting lot of people do, but they do not pay attention to this other part. This is very important.
Today is the beginning of our dindi procession. From Pune it has already started.
So those ten offenses, I am reminding to those who are going on the dindi today. Many of you are doing this. So, we should be practicing, make sure that you are avoiding these ten offenses and you could kindly remind others also.
yare dekho tare kaho Krishna upadesha
(CC Madhya-lila 07.128)
We are on the preaching mission also, different kinds of pilgrims. We are on preaching mission, so you should remind these ten offenses and encourage everyone to avoid these offenses. Follow chanting and avoid offenses. To all those you ask to chant Hare Krishna, you could also tell them to avoid ten offenses. The ten offenses, we could see how we could apply, preach, remind these prohibitions, ten offenses. Then only you can derive full benefit of chanting.
So, the first offense is to avoid committing offense at the feet of the vaisnavas. They also had dedicated their lives in the propagation of the holy name of the Lord. Each one of us, may be some are dedicating their lives, some dedicating part of their lives. Some are fully and some are partially, but everyone is dedicating. So do not offend vaisnavas, sadhus, do not offend anybody in fact; that we have learned from the Mrigari the hunter. He did not want to hurt even an ant. So that’s the standard, not that I will not offend vaisnavas but I will offend others. That’s also not fair.
name ruchi, jiver daya, vaisnava sevan
Serve vaishnavas, that is positive here, do not offend vaisnavas, we even don’t have to say this, we could only serve vaisnavas, then not offending is taken care of.
Second offense is to consider the names of God, so many of them are there 33 crore to be equal to or independent to the name of the Lord Krishna, Rama, Vitthal. To explain this to those who are in America, Europe, in western countries is not difficult. This offense, they even don’t know the demigods and how many they are and how to offend, but here in India this is difficult. While trying to avoid this offense, we may end up doing offense at the feet of demigods also. So, we have to be very careful, while trying to avoid second offense we may end up committing offenses.
Third offense is gurur avagya, disobeying spiritual master. The offenders at the feet of spiritual master, so many ways that one could offend spiritual master. One may think that, ‘I better not accept anyone as my spiritual master, it is better than accepting spiritual master and disobeying. I don’t want to disobey. My policy is not to accept spiritual master.’ Is that right thing to do? Sastras say tasmat gurum prapadyeta, you must accept the spiritual master. If you become guru sevi then everything else is taken care of, otherwise some practitioners, some followers may be, they are guru bhogi, guru tyagi, guru drohi. And the best thing only or only thing is become guru sevi. This is not time to elaborate or comment on this point. There is way out, you will not listen, you will sleep and snore during the time spiritual master is giving instructions, you could fall asleep. Then you can say I have not heard instructions so I am not disobeying.
The 4th offenses is , blaspheming the vedic literatures. So best thing is to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Sruti sasra nindanam, then there will not be blaspheming. To give interpretation is mayavad bhasya.
The 5th one, harinam vikalpanam. To consider glories of the holy name exaggeration. Just like nama abhasa kind of chanting, you could attain moksa. Gopal Chakravarti in Satyagram, Bengal, ‘no, I don’t accept this.’ And by not accepting, he offended Namacarya Srila Haridas Thakur and he also committed fifth offense. As a result, he got into big trouble. He had leprosy and his nose melted. He lost his nose. In comparison with getting bhakti, getting devotional service unto the Lord and to become competent, eligible to go back to Krishnaloka, Goloka, this attaining moksa is nothing.
Next one misinterpretation of the holy name. There are so many ways people do interpretation to the Holy name. Someone was chanting Coca Cola and someone soham soham hare hare. I was in Vrindavan few days ago and they were chanting Hare soham hare soham soham soham hare hare. So mayavadis also chant. They also chant, but what are they chanting, Hare is Radha and at place of Krishna, sah aham, sah, that one, that Krishna is myself. That is me. Or aham brahmasmi, same thing. So Hare and myself, Hare myself, myself myself Hare Hare. Anyways, this is mayavada. So mayavadis also, everyone has their interpretation of chanting of the Holy name, which is misleading. So, there are so many ways to misinterpret, to mislead and this is offense. Gaudiya Vaishnavas have also given interpretation; Jiva Gosvami has given interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.
Gopal guru Gosvami and other acaryas 500 years ago also have given their interpretations. That is right, correct interpretation. So we should be studying there interpretations. So interpretation is okay, but wrong interpretation is misleading interpretation.
7th is on the strength of holy name of the Lord one commit sins. Whole world is taking advantage of power of holy name, strength of the holy name. I am going now on dindi and finally on Dashami, day before Ekadashi, I am going to take bath in Chandrabhaga. Chandrabhaga maiya ki Jai!
I will become free from all the sins. I can commit some sins. This is all arranged, all part of the strategy. When I will reach Pandharpur, I am going to take holy deep, and then I am free, free from all the sins committed on the way during dindi. So that is okay, either river is powerful or holy name is powerful. So, take advantage of the power of the Holy name, power of the river Chandrabhaga, Ganges or power of what, power of association, power of sadhusang; we also understand that way, not just Holy name. This will not work, trying to be smart, trying to take advantage of the power of this process of Krishna consciousness which is of course,
Krishna sakti bina nahi tara pravartana
8th offense is to consider karma kanda section and those activities to be equal to as a process of chanting or devotional service. This is one and same thing. This is again interpretation or misunderstanding. So, this is also not right. So punya karma is punya karma and bhakti karma is bhakti karma. Going to heaven is not the goal. Going to God, Krishna, why should we go to heaven, because we can’t meet Krishna or Rama or Pandurang is not there. Why should I go anywhere any place if I am not going to find or meet the Lord of my heart? I am going to Pandharpur because I am going to meet my Lord there. So I will not go to Ahamadnagar. I will go to Pandharpur.
yato yato yami tato narasimho, yato yato yami tato
wherever I go I want to meet my Lord Narasimha, my Sri Krishna, Panduranga, Panduranga, Panduranga!
So, we don’t perform this karmakanda business section or the vidhi vidhan and they will not give the same result as performance of sankirtan, chanting of Hare Krishna gives, which is attainment of Vaikuntha, Goloka.
You are all right, I am all right. Prabhupada said, no, you are wrong. I am all right. You are representing Maya, letting Maya to speak, then how that could be right? I am letting Krishna to speak to me. So I am right.
So, the 9th offense is to preach the faithless. There is like sowing the seed in the field that has not been cultivated by the farmer and it has also not rained. So, that land is not ready, is not favorable if you sow some seeds, they will not grow, could turn into popcorn.
And 10th offense is not to have faith in chanting the Holy name of the Lord and maintaining attachment after hearing so many instructions on this subject matter. So not to have faith in chanting, you will not derive benefit from chanting if you have no faith in chanting. So we have to hear the glories of the Holy name more and more and more. We should read and study the Ajamila episode of Bhagavatam to increase our faith in the Holy name of the Lord. Do something. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has done so many many things, so that people’s faith will increase.
So avoid all these offenses against the Holy name of the Lord.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare!
vancha kalpa tarubhyasccha kripasindhubhya evacha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah!
Hare Krsna